Less than a year after infusing Yellowstone's Native Fish Conservation Program with an extra $1 million to suppress lake trout in Yellowstone Lake, the Yellowstone Park Foundation's grant has proven to be a smart investment.

The additional funds added one more gillnetting boat, working longer hours for an extended season, in an effort to reduce the number of invasive lake trout preying on native Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Learn more>>

The National Park Service (NPS) recently announced that 300,000 invasive lake trout were removed from Yellowstone Lake from May through October 2012, compared to 220,000 removed in 2011.

NPS’s latest sampling of immature Yellowstone cutthroat, taken annually since 1945, produced 20,000 young fish—more than double the number caught last year. This seems to indicate that the more aggressive suppression efforts are having a positive effect on cutthroat population numbers.

One of Yellowstone National Park's top priorities is to save the Yellowstone cutthroat trout -- an essential link in Yellowstone's ecosystem -- before it's too late. Since July 1, 2012 YPF has raised $158,765 towards this fiscal year's goal of $1 million to continue boosting the park's lake trout suppression effort in 2013.

The Yellowstone Park Foundation, a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization, works in cooperation with the National Park Service to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and cultural resources and the visitor experience of Yellowstone National Park.